May 14, 2017

It's a Marathon, Not a Sprint

Sorry for the cliched headline, but it really fits the bill.

Today, I am going to address my concern with President Donald Trump's impulsiveness and indiscipline, and how it makes things impossible for his communications team, thus reaffirming in the media's mind a condition of chaos, infighting and confusion at the White House.

I have commented in the past that Trump must not be so thin-skinned if he expects to serve as president. ESPECIALLY about silly, inane crap like beauty pageants, beauty queens and his daughter Ivanka's clothing line. But even more important, Trump needs to look at the long-term picture, the effectiveness and benefits of crafting compelling messages and drilling them into the public consciousness. This helps build support and momentum for crucial legislative initiatives.

If he gets upset about a certain news report, or one of the myriad false Democrat/media/Hollywood narratives, Trump is likely to spout off with tweets that are not thought through and may end up contradicting what he says in TV interviews or speeches. The tweets may also contradict or catch off guard his communication staff, which needs frequent facetime with the prez to stay abreast of his priorities and main points of emphasis. The messaging team and press secretary need a little time to craft their messages, and it goes without saying, they need The Donald not to contradict these messages with off-the-cuff, irresponsible remarks.

This past week, we had a number of different narratives on how Trump reached the decision to terminate former FBI Director James Comey. It simply projects a "Keystone Kops" incompetency, and shaking up the communications staff won't solve the problem. Word has it Trump will soon sack senior advisor Steve Bannon, Chief of Staff Reince Priebus and Press Secretary Sean Spicer, among others.

But competent communications professionals and advisors may not be likely to accept offers to replace the departed if they think they may also only last 3-6 months. And more importantly, Trump will continue to feed fodder to the ruthless, relentless media/Internet/Hollywood/academia machine, fomenting a circus atmosphere that will make it difficult to do the people's work.

We need a better health care system, tax reform, more school choice, wise anti-terrorism policies, improved infrastructure and many other things. These goals won't be achieved when precious time and energy are squandered with White House turmoil and mindless message clutter.

At the risk of heresy, I'm more confident in Trump selecting the right circle of advisors once he tapped H.R. McMaster. I'd imagine there's more people like him out there willing to step in and advise the President.